The present invention generally relates to mechanical and chemical technology, and more specifically to hearing aids.
Persons with hearing deficiencies wear hearing aids to improve their hearing ability. For cosmetic reasons, these persons typically desire to wear hearing aids that are not readily visible to others. One type of hearing aid that is not readily visible to others is a Completely In the Canal (CIC) hearing aid.
A CIC hearing aid 101 is recessed within the canal 103 of a person""s ear 105, as illustrated in FIG. 1. Therefore, the CIC hearing aid 101 is not readily visible to others. Because it is recessed in the ear canal, the CIC hearing aid 101, however, is difficult to remove. Removal is particularly troublesome for persons having diminished finger dexterity. Therefore a puller is attached to the CIC hearing aid 101.
A conventional puller, for a CIC hearing aid 101, is formed from a piece of monofilament fish line, e.g. polyester. The fish line is knotted at its first end. This knot is manually dipped into acrylic to form a ball. The ball permits the CIC hearing aid 101 wearer to more readily grasp the puller. After the ball is formed, the second end of the puller is inserted into the CIC hearing aid 101. The second end is knotted. To attach the puller to the CIC hearing aid 101, the knotted second end is manually glued to the CIC hearing aid 101.
The conventional puller has deficiencies. First, the conventional puller may be labor intensive to manufacture and install, and thus may be relatively expensive. For example, in addition to the steps described above, each puller is individually cut, from a spool of the monofilament fishline, in different lengths to satisfy individual user requirements. Also, the knots at the first and second ends are hand made.
Further, the ball is not formed uniformly on the pullers. Defects in ball formation may lead to user dissatisfaction.
Therefore, there is a need for a puller that can be manufactured and installed at lower cost. Further, there is a need for a puller that can be manufactured consistently.
The present invention solves the above-mentioned problems in the art and other problems which will be understood by those n the art upon reading and understanding the present specification. The present invention provides a puller, and methods of forming and attaching the same. The puller may be attached to a hearing aid to assist a hearing aid wearer having diminished dexterity to remove the hearing aid.
One embodiment of the hearing aid puller comprises a first member, and an end piece coupled to the first member. The hearing aid puller is a single, molded part formed from an elastically deformable material.
In another embodiment, the hearing aid puller includes a second end piece. An intermediate piece is coupled and spaced apart from the end piece by the member. A second member couples and spaces apart the intermediate and second pieces. The cross-sectional width of the intermediate piece and the maximum width of the second end piece are larger than the cross-sectional width of the second member.
In yet another embodiment, the elastically deformable material is a polyamide, such as Nylon-12.
In yet another embodiment, a hearing aid comprises a microphone, and an amplifier coupled to the microphone. A speaker is coupled to the amplifier. A housing encloses the microphone, amplifier and speaker. A puller includes an end piece. A member is coupled to the end piece. The puller is a single, molded part formed from an elastically deformable material.
In a further embodiment, the puller further comprises a second end piece. An intermediate piece is coupled and spaced apart from the end piece by the member. A second member couples and spaces apart the intermediate and second end pieces. The cross-sectional width of the intermediate piece and the maximum width of the end piece are larger than the cross-sectional width of the second member. A holder, on the housing, grasps the second member.
In another embodiment, the intermediate piece and second end piece tightly fit over the holder. In yet a further embodiment, the holder is a jaw.
In yet another embodiment, a method of attaching a puller to a hearing aid, comprises inserting a first member of the puller into a jaw of the hearing aid. The puller is pulled so that a piece of the puller squeezes through the jaw. The jaw snaps around a second member. In another embodiment, the puller is secured to the hearing aid by tightly fitting the piece and another piece over the jaw.
In another embodiment, a method of attaching a puller to a hearing aid comprises inserting a distal end of a member of the puller through a shell of the hearing aid. The distal end is attached to the shell.
In yet a further embodiment, a method of forming a hearing aid puller comprises injecting liquefied, elastically deformable material. The liquefied, elastically deformable material is cooled in a mold to form the hearing aid puller that is a single part that can be stretched to more than about twice the original molded length of the hearing aid puller. In another embodiment, the elastically deformable material is polyamide.
It is an advantage of the present invention that the hearing aid puller can be relatively inexpensively manufactured and installed. It is a further advantage that the puller can be custom stretched to a length desired by a user. It is yet a further advantage that the puller can be consistently manufactured.